Last Day in Etonhouse 717

Today marks the last day of my stay in Etonhouse 717. I have been here since I was 18 months old and have grown attached to many of the teachers here. I will miss Ms Charlotte, Ms Renee, Ms Ming, Ms Yda, Ms Fish, Ms Laura and Li Lao Shi. The good thing is most of my classmates are moving to the N2 class at Etonhouse 764 just down the road. However, I will not be in the same class as Asher and Kayne Jin but I am sure I will see them in school. Mummy and Daddy told me that the school is much bigger and has a bigger playground and more classrooms. I was also told that I have to wear the school uniform now. I am sure we will look very cute in the Christmasy uniform.

I had a great time at 717 and I just wanna say a big thank you to all the teachers who have made going to school very fun.

3 Year Old Birthday Celebration (Part 2)

A few months ago, I told Mummy I wanted to invite my friends for my party, assuming I was going to get a 3rd year birthday party. Mummy and Daddy discussed about it and seeing that I had been a good boy this year, decided that I will indeed get a birthday party at Polliwogs since I like that place so much.

I invited all my friends from school but cos some of them were away on vacation, only Asher, Kayne Jin, Michiru, Makena, Mariam and Yiren could make it. Mummy also invited some of her friends with children and of course Godpa with Janessa.

We started with playing at the gym and thank goodness it wasn't very crowded that day. We had lots of fun running around and running through the tunnels. Then we had games in the room and finally it was time to sing the birthday song. Mummy and Daddy got me a cake with Team Umi Zumi characters. It was awesome! We also had lots to eat and even ice cream. We continued playing at the gym after eating and only left that place around 6pm. I was exhausted by then but I had a great day.

3 Year Old Birthday Celebration (Part 1)

Today is Daddy's birthday and together with Mummy, we made a cake for Daddy last night. It was fun as I decorated the cake with lots of colored cream and M&Ms. Daddy was very surprised with the cake and he thought it was very well done. After singing Daddy a song and he cut the cake, we got ready to go to school where Mummy and Daddy had prepared my birthday celebration with my school friends.

The cake for my party was from Jane's Cake Station. Daddy picked it up yesterday so that we can have it this morning for the party. Mummy added more M&Ms around the edges and it looked really colorful. Most of my friends were there to celebrate my birthday with me while a few of them were gone for their year end holiday. Ms Yda helped me to prepare the cake and as I tried to blow out the candles after the birthday song, they just wouldn't go off. Mummy had prepared the funny candles for me and my friends and we had a fun time trying to blow out the candles. A lot of saliva also landed on the cake but everyone just ignored that. The chocolate cake was delicious and everyone enjoyed it. Thank you Mummy and Daddy for the cake.

Hong Kong

It was not the original intention to go to Hong Kong Disneyland but because Japan was hit by the earthquake in April this year so we had to cancel that trip. Mummy and Daddy arranged the Hong Kong trip with Godpa and Aunty Jo so that I have Janessa for company. We were there from the 6th to 10th December.

We spent a whole day in Disneyland. Although we were told that the weather there is very cold, we were surprised to find that it was almost as hot as Singapore. It was very crowded, mostly with mainland Chinese but we managed to catch most of the attractions with not too much waiting time. We stayed till the end to watch the fireworks in front of the castle. Before the show was over, I was already fast asleep in the stroller, tired from running around the whole day.

Janessa was not feeling well the next day so Godpa decided to let her sleep in while we went on our own to explore the South of Hong Kong. We took the double decker bus which took us from Central all the way to Stanley Market. It was rather exciting as the road was very narrow, windy and for most parts, either going uphill or downhill. We had lunch at Stanley Market after walking around the shops. Mummy and Daddy spent about an hour having coffee while I was playing at a playground nearby.

The next day we went to Ocean Park and this time the weather was more pleasant although the crowd was still the same with mainly Mandarin speaking tourists. There were many thrill rides which were meant for older kids so we were only left with a few simple rides which were not worth the waiting time. Daddy felt the highlight of that place was the cable car ride which took us to the top of the mountain and overlooking Stanley Market. The Dolphin and Seal show was also not very fantastic but the kids enjoyed it nonetheless. Daddy said the Ocean Park at San Diego is much better so I am looking forward to going there next time.

It was a good break for everyone and I am now looking forward to Disneyland Japan and Ocean Park San Diego.

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A Day with my Cousins

Gu Jie is currently in Australia for her work and Gu Jiong is studying for his exams so Gor Gor Evan and WeiEn stayed over with us since Friday night. We started the day with a trip to the wet market with Ye Ye and Nai Nai. It was kinda fun cos we got to see what went on in the market.

After we got back from the market, Daddy decided we should all have a swim so that hopefully that will tire us out and we will all take an afternoon nap. We had loads of fun in the pool and even Nai Nai came to join us. I put on my arm float and swam around on my own. Daddy was very proud of me and now can even stay out of the pool to take pictures of us. Even Mei Mei Andrea couldn't resist and wanted to join us but she could only sit around the pool with Mummy.

We took our shower after the swim, had our porridge for lunch and then took a nap as Daddy has hoped. And as promised (because we took our naps), Daddy and Mummy brought us all to the playground. We had fun building sand castles and sitting on the swing together. We were reluctant to leave when time was up but we finally agreed cos that will ensure we get to go to the playground again. It was indeed a fun filled day and I am wondering when Gu Jie is going away for work again.

A Trip to the Jetty

After breakfast today at Beach Road Prawn Noodles, Mummy and Daddy decided to visit the Bedok Jetty because I have not been there before and the weather was very pleasant and not too sunny. It was a good 300 meters from the car park to the jetty but it seemed we took forever to get there. This was because I wanted to push Mei Mei Andrea's pram and that delayed our journey. But I love Mei Mei and wanted to make sure she gets there together with me.

There were many cyclists and joggers at the east coast park. There were also many tents set up along the grass patch next to the beach. Daddy suggested we should try it out one day and see if we will enjoy it. Mummy suggested we should try it at home before venturing out field.

While walking along the jetty, we witnessed a fisherman catching a big fish. Well at least it was huge compared to those small little fishes the other fishermen caught. Everyone got very excited and crowded around the man and when he took a picture with the fish, he looked like those guys who caught a 300 pound marlin.

I had fun at the jetty today.

I Finally Cut My Hair

It was probably a dream come true for Mummy when I agreed with her that I should cut my monster hair 2 days ago. So without much hesitation, Mummy and Daddy rushed me to Parkway Parade's Junior League this morning after breakfast. At first I seemed rather positive with the idea of cutting my hair and readily jumped into the car and headed for Parkway Parade. However, as we approached the barber, I suddenly realized the consequence of my agreement and started resisting. Mummy and Daddy first tempted me with my personalized Barney show, followed by sweets and even balloons. I didn't really succumb to it but Mummy held me really tight and I eventually surrendered the struggle and gave in like a lamb ready to be shaved for it's wool.



I must say it wasn't that bad after the whole ordeal and Mummy and Daddy even rewarded me with ice cream for not tearing the whole shop down. I am not sure when I have to do this again.

Singapore Idol here I come...

Mummy has been teaching me to sing the Rainbow Song since I was young and I have always enjoyed that song. Now I can sing it on my own. And in case you don't know the lyrics, it goes like this...

Red and Yellow and Pink and Green, Purple and Orange and Blue, I can sing a Rainbow, sing a Rainbow, sing a Rainbow too.



In case you didn't realise, I can sing both the rap version and the ballad.

I Love to Swim

I have always love swimming and the many times we swam at home, I have refused to get up and always kicked up a big fuss when asked to clean up. There was once it got so bad Daddy even had to resort to using the cane on me before I decided that I shouldn't test his patience.

And it has always been that I cling on to Daddy in the pool and go where ever he brought me. But thanks to Mei Mei Alexis (she is only 16 months old), she inspired Daddy to try the arm floats on me. And boy was it fun! Now I don't have to cling on to Daddy anymore and Daddy is also relieved of his duty and can swim on his own. Thank you Mei Mei Alexis. I will soon learn to swim on my own without the float.

Welcome Andrea...

It's the day we have all been waiting for, at least for Mummy and Daddy... Andrea was delivered safely to us today at 3.58pm and she weighs a healthy 3.005kg, only a tad lighter than me.

Mummy and Daddy left today at about noon to check into Mount Alvernia hospital as the operation was about 3.30pm. At about 4pm, Daddy called Nai Nai to say that Andrea has been delivered. And Nai Nai and Ye Ye will bring me to visit them after my dinner tonight. I was looking forward to see Mummy and Daddy as they told me Andrea Mei Mei has some surprises for me.








We were the first to visit Andrea Mei Mei at the hospital. Daddy passed me the presents and said that they were from Andrea Mei Mei. Unfortunately I wasn't to be fooled and insisted that Mummy bought them for me. You see, I am still not very sure about Andrea Mei Mei. I used to have Mummy and Daddy all to myself, now I have to share them with Andrea Mei Mei. And since she is still a baby, that means she will get more attention than me. I am sure I am happy she is with us. I guess it is only natural that I am jealous and I will probably take a while to get used to having her around. Mummy and Daddy assured me that they still love me a lot and now there is Andrea Mei Mei who will love me lots too.

There were other people who came later to visit and at one point, it got really crowded. Uncle Fandi was there too and he took some really nice shots of us. Thanks Uncle Fandi.








We left the hospital at about 9pm and I will be without Mummy and Daddy for the next 3 nights as Mummy recovers from the operation. Things are already starting to look different now....

Good Observation, Wrong Conclusion..

Today I noticed the difference between a boy and a girl.

Mummy was helping to change Mei Mei Esther in the room and innocently I said, "Birdie birdie went inside!"

Everyone had a good laugh...

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

We have driven passed this place several times and never really found the chance to visit it, until today. After lunch at Relish, Mummy and Daddy brought me to the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden which is part of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It was at the garden that we found out more about this person.

Jacob Ballas was a pillar of the Jewish community in Singapore, a successful stockbroker and well-known philanthropist. The only child of a poor orthodox Baghdadi family in Amara, Iraq, Jacob was moved from Iraq to Labuan and finally to Singapore in the late 1920s. He later attended school at St Andrew's School and even became the President of the St Andrew's Old Boys Association from 1957 to 1961.

Jacob's career started as a car salesman and later as an insurance agent with Sun Life Insurance. He made his money when he was introduced to stock broking and his company merged with Hong Kong-based Citicorp Vickers to become Vickers Ballas in the early 1990s and it went public in 1993.

We spent about 2 hours in the garden which has a playground and even a water play area. Mummy and Daddy decided we will skip the water play area today and come back another time for it. I had fun at the playground and impressed Mummy and Daddy when I came down the high and long slide, without any hesitation. We ended the visit with ice cream at the Kids Cafe which has pretty good chocolate ice cream. We will certainly be back soon.

Hungry Caterpillar

Thanks to the West Coast Park Playground, I get to have McDonald's breakfast today. Mummy and Daddy decided that we will have brunch at the McDonald's and then let me play at the very very big playground. I had my usual pancakes with lots of syrup and butter. I also got to eat the hash brown which according to Daddy is not healthy because it is deep fried.











We spent about an hour at the playground and after which we went back to McDonald's for some hot fudge sundae and fries with ketchup. Actually it was more like ketchup with fries. It is indeed a special day.


Mummy had booked tickets for the Hungry Caterpillar play at the Fusionopolis in the afternoon. I like the story very much and have been asking Mummy to read me the story many times. It was very interesting and had 3 stories packed into the 45 mins play. There was The Little Cloud, The Mixed Up Chameleon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, all by Eric Carle. It was very well done and surprisingly there were only 2 persons behind the scene. Mummy and Daddy enjoyed the play too.

HFMD

I went to school today only to find out that it will be closed for the next 10 days because of 7 cases of Hand Foot Mouth Disease among my friends. Apparently HFMD usually affects infants and children and has been prevalent in most of the child care centres. It is moderately contagious and is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, or feces of an infected person. I suppose one of my friends got it from somewhere else and passed it to the others.

Mummy and Daddy think I am ok and not infected although when they checked the inside of my mouth, they see some red dots but not blisters typical of HFMD. I also do not have high fever which is one of the symptoms of HFMD and finally, my appetite is as per normal so it is quite unlikely I have HFMD.

Apparently there is no specific treatment for HFMD so one just have to drink lots of water and get plenty of rest if infected.

We just got wind that my friend Asher is confirmed down with HFMD and has some pretty nasty blisters. I hope he gets well soon.

If all goes well, we will resume school on the 15th July. Meanwhile Nai Nai has to put up with me for the next 10 days.

Dora Explorer

My current favourite cartoon show is Dora Explorer. Dora and her friends are always involved in some adventures and I love being part of that. Dora is an adventurous, bilingual, Latina heroine who lives in a house with her Mamá and Papi. Determined, positive, helpful and caring, Dora is always ready for adventure. She's filled with a sense of wonder as she explores her world with her faithful Backpack, Map and her best friend Boots.

Dora's cousin Diego, is a great partner to Dora in her adventures. He helps his parents at the Animal Rescue Centre and can even make animal noises and talk to the wild animals. You can count on Diego to run, swing and jump to the rescue of any animals in trouble.

Swiper is a quick, sneaky fox who tries to swipe things that Dora needs to complete her quests. When Swiper has swiped something he then hides it and it's up to Dora, Boots and us to find where it is hidden. Swiper speaks English and can be stopped by calling out 'Swiper, no swiping'. Whenever Swiper appears, I will cover my eyes cos I don't quite like him.

I love watching their programs and get excited even though I have seen the same episode many times before.

Perth

We were suppose to go to Japan in March this year but because of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, we had to cancel the trip and make alternative plans. Mummy and Daddy decided a cool place will be nice for me and so decided that we will check out Perth. They were well aware there is not very much to do there but the cool weather and various farms and open spaces will make me a very happy kid and that was good enough for them.

We were suppose to be there from 15th to 23rd June but our fight was delayed a day due to the Chilean ash cloud. We thought we were not meant to go for any holidays when told of the cancelled flight but was glad to find out we will fly out 12 hours later.

Jie Jie Sophia was there to greet us and she brought us for brunch and settled us in our hotel before heading off to work. For the next 7 days, we were on our own and Daddy drove from Perth to Augusta and then back again to Perth. The whole journey was about 1000 km and Daddy enjoyed the pleasant drive. We had great fun stopping at various towns along the way and I got to feed many farm animals and even saw dolphins and whales and Daddy and Mummy even got to enjoy a nice lunch at a vineyard.

On the last day, we met up with Jie Jie Sophia again and had dinner with her at a Vietnamese restaurant. We then headed back to her place to stay for a night before catching our flight back home the next day at 2pm. We also managed to have breakfast with Jie Jie Sophia's mommy and had a great time at the persimmon farm.

It was a great trip and we had lots of fun.

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Mee Pok Da

This morning Mummy and Daddy decided to have breakfast with Ye Ye at a different place from the usual porridge at Maxwell Market. We headed to one of Daddy's favourite Mee Pok noodle at Crawford Road called Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle. As the name implies, they started at Hill Street since well, a long time ago and has survived all these while. Fortunately the queue wasn't very long today and we quickly got our food after 10 mins of waiting. I shared with Mummy her bowl of soup noodle and had quite a fair bit. We had a good breakfast today.

Bronte

After class today, Mummy and Daddy decided to check out this eating place we noticed while having lunch at Peperoni at Greenwood one day. It's quite a chill out place sandwiched between other restaurants. We settled down and ordered smoked salmon with brioche and bacon and egg also with brioche. I started eating the brioche Mummy gave me and shortly after, Daddy realized I looked strange and before he could tell Mummy, I did a merlion and threw up all my breakfast which included my milk, biscuits, banana and some yoghurt. It was quite a mess and I was crying, not sure if it was because of the mess on me or the wasted food. Anyway, Mummy and Daddy did a pretty good job cleaning me up in the toilet and was totally apologetic to the guy who had to clean up my mess.

We continued eating after the incident and apart from the little mishap, we had a pretty good time at the restaurant. Daddy thinks the Smoked Salmon brioche is better at Fika and the Bacon and Egg brioche is better at Riders Cafe. I'm not sure if we will go back there again...

MBS

Mummy had to be at MBS for 2 nights to take care of an office event happening there. So she decided that Daddy and I should join her there on Saturday night after her event. We got a very nice room overlooking the water in front of the Merlion.









Of course we had to go swim in the Infinity Pool while at MBS. It is always so nice to be playing in the pool at such a high altitude plus the spectacular view of Raffles Place from up there. Daddy and I waddle in the pool while Mummy was taking pictures of us. We spent only about an hour at the pool because it was quite hot so Mummy and Daddy decided that we should go back to the room and I have my milk. For some reason, I sleep especially well on hotel beds and this time was no exception.

In the evening, we went to the Event Plaza to catch the Wonder Full Light and Water Showcase. The 13-minute performance is told using the mediums of giant Water Screens and vibrant multicolor High Powered Lasers. It was quite different and many people were there to watch it. After the performance, I played with bubbles which Mummy brought with her. It was actually a wedding favor from Aunty Linda and Uncle Noel from 2 years ago.









It was an eventful weekend.

Numbers....

I think I am pretty good with my numbers cos every time I walk up or down a flight of steps, Mummy will count with me. However I must admit my diction can be improved especially my "f"s. This is how I count now.... One Two Hwee Hor Hi Six Sethen Eight Nine Ten!

And now for the Chinese version, which I am better with....

Bedok Reservoir Park

I was suppose to catch my afternoon nap but I was too restless and couldn't get to sleep. Daddy and Mummy decided to bring me to Bedok Reservoir Park since I have not been there. It is only less than 10 mins drive from our house so it is very convenient. There were many people at the park, some were running, some kids were learning how to roller blade and there were a lot of students who were there for some canoeing competition.

I headed straight to the playground and spend about 30 mins there. Then we decided to take a walk around the park and along the way we met this friendly couple walking their also friendly dog. The dog kept wanting to lick my hand and I was kinda scared and ran away. We also saw many students who were finishing their competition and it looked really fun. We decided not to walk round the path cos it looked like a long way and Daddy knows he will have to carry me when I decided I don't want to walk anymore.

We spent about 1 hour there and headed home for my bath and dinner. It was a good day.

Bee Daddy, Not Fly...

We were at Rider's Cafe today having brunch. Mummy and Daddy wanted me to catch some horses but they all seem to be either out walking or sleeping in their stable cos we didn't see any at all, except one which was walking around the car park, must be a punishment...

Instead of horses, I spotted a bee while eating but Daddy corrected me, saying it was a fly. I was very sure it was a bee and wasn't gonna let Daddy fool me...


After our meal, Mummy brought me to the playground and I saw a baby iguana. I wasn't very thrilled and ran back to the safety of Mummy's arm....

Changi Point Coastal Walk

It has been a long time since Ye Ye been to Changi Village. He used to work there many many years ago but that place has changed so much since the 80's so Mummy and Daddy decided that we should check it out and perhaps have dinner there as well.

Apparently the board walk is very long and starts from Changi Village and stretches all the way to Changi Beach Club. While driving pass the old chalets, Daddy remembers the good old times when they used to stay at the chalets and have so much fun with his cousins. It must have been like 30 years ago and some of the chalets are still there. Daddy even has a picture of himself playing at the beach. There is also another photo of Yi Sok and Gu Zhe in front of the chalet.









We spent like 30 mins on the boardwalk and I was just having fun running up and down the path. I saw many bumboats passing by and there were also lots of people fishing there. I wonder if they caught anything.









We headed to the hawker centre to check out the nasi lemak but the queue was so long for the famous store, we decided to just try one of the other store with the shorter queue. The crowd at Changi Village was unbelievably large for a place so remote.

Farm Mart

Mummy and Daddy knows I love animals and they will always try to bring me to places with animals, especially one that allows me to feed the animals. One of my favourite place is the Farm Mart. I know I have blogged about this before but cos I like it so much, I decided to write about it again, and this time with a video to show for. And this time to Choa Chu Kang, we also checked out Qian Hu Fish Farm. There were all kinds of fishes and although I don't know much about fishes, I had a great time running along the many aisles of fish tanks. They even have "long kangs" constructed to allow visitors to scoop for long kang fishes. Since I am too young, Mummy didn't allow me to try but promised to bring me back when I am older. I had a great day.

Royal Caribbean Cruise

This is the first time I am travelling with Mummy's family. We were on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Legend of the Sea from 9th to 13th Feb and although it seemed like a 5 day 4 night cruise, we actually only had 3 full days on the cruise. We stopped at Port Klang and Phuket for about 6 hours each and we got off both times. Port Klang was boring as we spent the whole time at Jusco. Phuket was more interesting but the weather was very hot and we had a big group of 10 adults and 4 kids so we didn't really get to do much.

There wasn't much to do on the cruise as they had programs catered for kids above 3 years old only so poor Mummy and Daddy were stuck with me the whole time. We decided to attend a mini concert but because I was so active and refused to sit down quietly and was running around the theatre, we were chased out of the theatre. We ended up going back to the room where I was more confined.

I must say I had fun on the cruise but I cannot say the same for Mummy and Daddy. Daddy says he looks forward to the Alaskan cruise when I am much older.